PS 341: Politics of Western Europe and the EU: The History and Politics of European IntegrationOregon State University, Political Science

This course is an introduction to the history and politics of the European Union. Topics to be covered include the history of ideas of unification, the historical backdrop of European integration, specific issues and challenges for the integration process, such as European security, transatlantic ties, economic motives, European institutions, politics, challenges of Eastern enlargement, as well as current issues of the day.

The principal goal is to develop an understanding of the complex history of the European integration process, to be able to theorize such processes, in order to comprehend past and present policy challenges.

This course fulfills the Baccalaureate Core requirement for the Contemporary Global Issues category. It does this by examining the origins, historical contexts, and implications of contemporary European politics, and inviting students to critically and interdisciplinarily reflect upon how these discussions continue to shape our understanding of integration theory, as well as contemporary politics and culture.